Smile newbie/BWPS debut question

[cst]

Definitely the kind of responses that I was looking for.  Cool to be able to read it from those that were there.

[Dead Parrot]

It's interesting to see how people reated to the events of February 20th 2004, especially as I was rather busy with other matters at the time. My son was born that day 

[Andrew G. Doe]

It's interesting to see how people reated to the events of February 20th 2004, especially as I was rather busy with other matters at the time. My son was born that day 

He's called Brian, right ? 

[hypehat]

It's interesting to see how people reated to the events of February 20th 2004, especially as I was rather busy with other matters at the time. My son was born that day 

You mean you didn't go to the show? I bet you like Kokomo as well 

[Matt Bielewicz]

Thanks to Craig for the kind words above. I'm not exactly adding anything fresh by saying that it was one hell of a night - one of the best live music experiences I've ever had, actually. I'm very finicky about live music, and tend to prefer listening to recordings (people talk about the energy of the live experience, but all too often, I find it a disappointment wholly lacking in excitement or decent performances). However, the night SMiLE debuted, and the night after that at the RFH, there was really something quite extraordinary in the air... and I'm not talking about the smoke from Mr Horse-Apples', um, cigarette...

I didn't experience the tension-filled build-up, as I was so late into the gig. I still have my tube ticket from that night, and see that I only bought it at Baker Street station at 7:15pm, with 15 minutes to go until showtime. We had driven in from outside London to Baker Street after work, braving traffic on the motorways and the ever-present possibility of hold-ups, and didn't get into the tube station until after ten past seven.

I had no idea whether SMiLE would be played from the start of the set or not, and was worried about being stuck on a tube train when this amazing music was being unveiled to the world. We were still underground until five minutes before the official start time! My wife and I got out of Westminster tube station with four minutes to go, and ran across Westminster bridge like insane people. We barely made it into our seats before the music started. And when it did, of course... it was And Your Dreams Come True, not SMiLE. A piece I love, but after the madness of the rush to arrive on time, something of an anti-climax. I was immediately impressed by the Brian Wilson band, which I was seeing for the first time, but beyond that, I don't remember much about the opening set, other than that the choice of Time To Get Alone seemed an ill-advised one - it sounded well beyond Brian's range.

I do remember being impressed by the fact that the band's listed instruments in the programme included whistles, hammer, percussion, saw, and tool belt (somehow, I *had* found time to snatch a programme and hand over money - or maybe I didn't buy the programme until the interval? Already, after seven years, the memory cheats...). Of course, I had plenty of time through the opening greatest hits set to calm down and get ready for SMiLE. I had brought a large notepad with me, and spent much of the set listening and simultaneously scribbling notes in the dark, so I wouldn't forget how all of this incredible music fitted together (oh yeah, plus a tape recorder, of course. Come on - who DIDN'T take one with them that night?). My wife, a Wilson fan but not to the er, extent that I am, just sat back and enjoyed the music. She had never previously 'got' SMiLE, feeling (not without justification) that it was all just lots of bits and pieces, but she thought the concert was fantastic, which I took to be the final seal of approval; if even non-SMiLE-o-holics could now appreciate this music, then Brian, Van Dyke, Darian and the band had *really* achieved something amazing.

I've posted extensively in the past about my experiences that evening, so I won't repeat it all again, but I do want to say this. When I got back to my dad's flat at Baker Street much later, I felt a strong feeling that I should share what I'd experienced with all the people on the SMiLE Shop who hadn't been able to be there in person. It was already late, as myself and my wife had gone for dinner after the gig, and I figured that all the good secrets about the music and the order in which it had been performed would already be out there.

To my surprise, when I got on-line (on a dial-up modem - those were the days...), there wasn't much detailed info around (I guess all the people at the concert were still out celebrating, and quite right too). Somebody who'd been there had said a few things about a couple of the songs had been included, but there wasn't the kind of detail I knew I would have wanted if I'd been stuck in front of a computer in Alberquerque instead of in the RFH that night.

I started by posting a fairly short-form account of the first 'act', and was so tired after that that I was going to turn in and do the rest the next day. But the response to what I'd posted was so overwhelming that I threw caution to the wind and stayed up deep into the night posting more and more detail. It was great fun, almost as much fun as the gig itself.

And that was going to be it... except the wheels of fate dealt me a good hand and I ended up going to the gig the second night as well, which was entirely unexpected. That night, I was accompanied by a photographer friend who likes, but is fairly lukewarm about the Beach Boys. He was absolutely blown away by the gig - as was I. The second night, of course, was the night of the enormous standing ovation for Brian at the end of the SMiLE set. I mean, he got a good long round of applause the first night, but the second night it just went on and on. That was the night I was glad I'd come back. I mean, brilliant to have been at the premiere and all that, but the second night... was really something else. The band really seemed to feel the goodwill in the hall and react to it. The performances, which had been strong anyway the previous night, were nothing short of awesome on the second time round. I left after Brian's closing 'Love and Mercy' with my mind spinning, entirely from the power of the music. It was *incredible*.

Needless to say, I was waiting outside the doors of my local record shop when it opened on September 27th that year (the day Brian's SMiLE was released on CD in the UK). Musically, it was a brilliant year for me.

MattB

[Matt Bielewicz]

...oh, and as regards the postings from that night, I do have them archived on an old hard drive somewhere (not just my posts, the full to and fro of the discussion). I know some of them used to be available here, but I don't know if they're accessible any more. I used to regularly archive bits of the discussion board, but have totally fallen out of that habit in recent years.

MattB

[Chalk n Numbers]

What a nice thread. Thanks to the OP for inviting us to reminisce.

I haven't posted a SMiLE-related word for years, but Matt's posts have converted me from appreciative reader to poster - this once, anyway.

I'm so very happy to have the chance to thank him again, here on the eve of the release of TSS, for his marvelous premiere-night posts: posts that brought the experience to life even for those of us thousands of miles away, and made us feel, as never before, that we were part of a single community.

Speaking only for myself, I was staring at my monitor that night, incredulously grinning as more and more information emerged. I remember a post (not sure whose) to the effect of "ribbon of concrete lyrics at about 8 minutes!" It was that sort of tiny detail that helped us to grasp the enormity of what was happening...to understand that we were getting much more than an assemblage of already-known bits and pieces. I recall that several skeptics, during the run-up to the premiere, were derisively vocal on that point, maintaining that those of us who were expecting a meaningful, coherent work were in for a profound disappointment. I'm glad they were wrong.

Then again, I was always a SMiLE optimist. I had been waiting for SMiLE since the very beginning, and I firmly believed, in the face of compelling evidence to the contrary, that the final chapter in the story was yet to be written - that there would ultimately be some kind of artistic closure. But candidly, I never expected anything as triumphantly celebratory as the live shows...or the album that followed.

So thank you, Matt, once again, for letting us all share that magical event. Personally, I'm looking forward to more magic (and more surprises) on 11/1/11.

Cheers,

C&N

PS Anybody else remember the day the announcement of the SMiLE premiere first went up on Brian's site? I remember staring at that sun image, thunderstruck, as the "Bicycle Rider" theme played. It was almost like being transported, just for a moment, to some alternate reality.

[Peter Reum]

An unforgettable evening for sure, and the highlight of the week was being able to tell Brian after the third show I`d heard that it was the most beautiful music I had ever heard. I got to lay an 8 cd Gershwin set on him as a thank you...he later told me he listens periodically to it. I got to hear all the shows in London and one with Coach Bob Hanes in Portland the next year. A good memory of Smile and of Bob. 

[37!ws]

Chalk -- I certainly remember the announcement. It was shortly after Jeff Foskett kinda leaked it at a concert he and Billy Hinsche were doing, IIRC; he said that he had been assigned to pick 30 minutes worth of Smile material and work with Brian to put it into some kind of performable order.

And yeah, the London tour announcements were splattered all over the place nine months in advance, yet there were three shows in the US literally just days away that NOBODY in the BW camp said a peep about. One of them -- in Newark, NJ -- ended up getting cancelled. (I had a student at the time who actually worked at the venue and told me that BW's management was forced to cancel a show, and she they decided that it would be better publicity to cancel a New Jersey show than to cancel a New York City show, despite nearly selling out NJ.) I even posted on the bloo about how they announced the months-away concert as if it were the second coming of Christ, yet they're totally mum about the days-away US shows. (One of the band members actually said to me, "I saw your post about the 'second coming of Christ,' and, uhh...well......*eyeroll* yeah." Obviously that band member wanted to stop short in fear of going on record in voicing her disgust...or his disgust...) Seriously, except for the show in Boston (Brian was getting some kind of honorary degree or something in Boston, so obviously Brian's people decided to piggy-back it with a mini-tour), the other shows were found out literally by accident when someone visited a radio station's web site.

[Ron]

Hello all -

I am new to all of this... a friend of mine has been a BB/Smile addict for years, and despite attempts to expose me to them/it, I wasn't having it... until the announcement was made about the box set and I went and discovered it on my own.  I am now a Smile addict with the rest of the catalog waiting for me.  I've spent the last few weeks listening to everything I could obtain, and reading the posts here.  I'm officially obsessed.  HIGHLY informative posts here, even if it can be overwhelming and confusing for a new guy here.

So my question - what was it like the first night that BWPS was debuted?  Was there a collective gathering at the computer for those who couldn't be there?  What was it like as the setlist unfolded??  This must have been one of the most incredible times for the BB fan.  I suppose I'm looking for recollections as someone who missed out on it.

Something *HUGE* that has been forgotten is this: Until the album was performed, live, that night.... nobody operated under the assumption that the entire album was modular.  You can hear it in the crowd.

The Crowd is full of Beach Boys experts, people who know the boots like the back of their hand, and the lights come up, and the band starts into "Prayer".  When the song ended, everybody stood up and clapped... but were immediately cut off as the band launched into "Gee". 

So what was always expected and thought to be an album full of great songs, became an incredible 15 minute RUSH as he sped through Prayer/Gee/HeroesAndVillians/etc.  Along the way, things like H&V had all the little extra parts added to the end and things, it was all mindblowing.  Instead of hearing 3 or 4 minute mixes, now you hear 15 minutes of the sh*t mixed together PERFECTLY being sang PERFECTLY on stage with Brian completely involved, front and center, singing loud and proud the entire time. 

MINDBLOWING. 

[puni puni]

Sorry to pick apart a small point but why are people drinking beer before SMiLE? Brian wasn't drinking beer during its conception & creation - he actually spoke against alcohol at the time. If you want to appreciate Smile more, beer is not the way to go. Other things.... are more... appropriate.

Honestly, if I drank alcohol I couldn't even enjoy any Beach Boys music - it's too sensitive and subtle for my drunk brain to really interpret successfully.

ive been drunk for the last two days and one thing i can notice about listening to music is the voices reallyt come at you. perfect for beach boys stuff when you're initially getting int your buzz. not so much coming off it. i cannot stand most of this stuff right now. Ram by Paul McCartney is a good drunk album ive found.

[Andrew G. Doe]

An unforgettable evening for sure, and the highlight of the week was being able to tell Brian after the third show I`d heard that it was the most beautiful music I had ever heard. I got to lay an 8 cd Gershwin set on him as a thank you...he later told me he listens periodically to it. I got to hear all the shows in London and one with Coach Bob Hanes in Portland the next year. A good memory of Smile and of Bob. 

If you wanted to find Peter in London other than at a show, you just went to a little internet cafe under the arches across from the London Eye. I believe it closed after he went back home... 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Something *HUGE* that has been forgotten is this: Until the album was performed, live, that night.... nobody operated under the assumption that the entire album was modular.  You can hear it in the crowd.

The Crowd is full of Beach Boys experts, people who know the boots like the back of their hand, and the lights come up, and the band starts into "Prayer".  When the song ended, everybody stood up and clapped... but were immediately cut off as the band launched into "Gee". 

So what was always expected and thought to be an album full of great songs, became an incredible 15 minute RUSH as he sped through Prayer/Gee/HeroesAndVillians/etc.  Along the way, things like H&V had all the little extra parts added to the end and things, it was all mindblowing.  Instead of hearing 3 or 4 minute mixes, now you hear 15 minutes of the sh*t mixed together PERFECTLY being sang PERFECTLY on stage with Brian completely involved, front and center, singing loud and proud the entire time. 

MINDBLOWING. 

Um... actually, if you look in back copies of Stomp, you'll find the word 'modular' applied to Smile from the late 80s/early 90s. Modesty forbids I name the author of said article... 

[Iron Horse-Apples]

Modular is good, but I prefer the term fractal tonality The whole is not the sum of it's parts, the parts are the whole, in microcosm.

[hypehat]

Sorry to pick apart a small point but why are people drinking beer before SMiLE? Brian wasn't drinking beer during its conception & creation - he actually spoke against alcohol at the time. If you want to appreciate Smile more, beer is not the way to go. Other things.... are more... appropriate.

Honestly, if I drank alcohol I couldn't even enjoy any Beach Boys music - it's too sensitive and subtle for my drunk brain to really interpret successfully.

Yes, but beer is handily available in the Royal Festival Hall at places called 'bars'. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Sorry to pick apart a small point but why are people drinking beer before SMiLE? Brian wasn't drinking beer during its conception & creation - he actually spoke against alcohol at the time. If you want to appreciate Smile more, beer is not the way to go. Other things.... are more... appropriate.

Honestly, if I drank alcohol I couldn't even enjoy any Beach Boys music - it's too sensitive and subtle for my drunk brain to really interpret successfully.

Yes, but beer is handily available in the Royal Festival Hall at places called 'bars'. 

All over London, too. 

[desmondo]

Sorry to pick apart a small point but why are people drinking beer before SMiLE? Brian wasn't drinking beer during its conception & creation - he actually spoke against alcohol at the time. If you want to appreciate Smile more, beer is not the way to go. Other things.... are more... appropriate.

Honestly, if I drank alcohol I couldn't even enjoy any Beach Boys music - it's too sensitive and subtle for my drunk brain to really interpret successfully.

Yes, but beer is handily available in the Royal Festival Hall at places called 'bars'. 

All over London, too. 

I went to the second RFH gig and during the Smile set just sat there with tears streaming down my face as one marvellous piece of music moved into another piece of marvellous music - I was transfixed by musical beauty. The second movement is undeniably the highlight for me - flawless.

The endless standing ovation was amazing - rightly deserved as Brian overcame his demons and let his music speak for him.

I saw the Smile show again in Oxford and Bristol and whilst the Bristol show was perhaps the tightest and most 'musically' satisfying performance, nothing will beat the 2nd RFH show for the sheer emotion of hearing Smile.

[The Heartical Don]

Sorry to pick apart a small point but why are people drinking beer before SMiLE? Brian wasn't drinking beer during its conception & creation - he actually spoke against alcohol at the time. If you want to appreciate Smile more, beer is not the way to go. Other things.... are more... appropriate.

Honestly, if I drank alcohol I couldn't even enjoy any Beach Boys music - it's too sensitive and subtle for my drunk brain to really interpret successfully.

Yes, but beer is handily available in the Royal Festival Hall at places called 'bars'. 

All over London, too. 

I went to the second RFH gig and during the Smile set just sat there with tears streaming down my face as one marvellous piece of music moved into another piece of marvellous music - I was transfixed by musical beauty. The second movement is undeniably the highlight for me - flawless.

The endless standing ovation was amazing - rightly deserved as Brian overcame his demons and let his music speak for him.

I saw the Smile show again in Oxford and Bristol and whilst the Bristol show was perhaps the tightest and most 'musically' satisfying performance, nothing will beat the 2nd RFH show for the sheer emotion of hearing Smile.

I was at the fourth (Feb 24th) RFH gig - we ordered tickets thinking this was the farewell night for London (it seemed to be then), and the debut was sold out. It was absolutely fantastic, unforgettable. I had expressly avoided all info, to keep the surprise at its maximum. And I wasn't disappointed... what a show. Highlights for me: Ms. O'Leary's Cow, with the Woodpecker chant on top of it. Absolute magic. And CITFOM, Blue Hawaii, ah well... all of it, absolutely all.

[37!ws]

A few things I can share about the Smile debut of 2004...mind you, I wasn't there; I was sitting at home constantly watching the 'net for updates....here are a few memories:

- The Mrs. and I were both skeptical about the whole Smile thing, that it would happen AT ALL, and that we probably wouldn't have it in the U.S. (ha!) We knew that Dan Lega was making the trip out to London, so we asked him to pick up a souvenir program for us. Not only did he pick up the souvenir program for us, but he also had it autographed for us (we didn't ask him to!)....by EVERYBODY (except Brian but including VDP!) -- the BW band and the Stockholm Strings'n'Horns (and yes, including Markus).

- I've mentioned before that although I drenched myself in Smile outtakes, listening to everything I could, I always understood why it probably was a good idea that it stayed in the can at the time, and it just plain wasn't the holy grail for me...and my wife cared even less. However, when someone posted MP3s of opening night online, she made me grab 'em and play 'em....she sat on the floor next to my Amiga 4000, listening in silence, and at the end, she said, "Holy...f***ing...s**t." Yeah, it was that freakin' good.

- Probably the biggest surprise was that after we saw all that they performed, including "Look" (now called "Song For Children"), "Fire" (now "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow"), and "Holidays" (now "On A Holiday"), every piece of music had vocals when we were so used to hearing the aforementioned three tunes as instrumentals.

- Believe it or not, the September 28 release of the studio album was just as exciting, at least for me. I remember stopping at Target on the way to work that morning...it was raining incredibly hard...but I went inside, and they had to send someone to the back to retrieve it because they hadn't yet pulled out the new releases for that day. The dude handed Smile to me and I was nearly speechless. It's a shame that the guy couldn't appreciate how surreal it was to have it. All I could say was, "Wow...this is IT! I actually have Smile in my hands!!"

[Andrew G. Doe]

When the CD was released over here, I listened to the album countdown for the first time on... oh, 30, 35 years. Wasn't in the top 30, nor the top 20 and I was getting a bit disappointed, but listened anyway. When the DJ announced it had debuted at #7, I burst into tears... and for about a month thereafter, customers at my shop, friends and friends of friends kept telling me how much they loved "your Brian Wilson's album". Hell, that was a fine, fine month.

[Micha]

It was an unforgettable experience. It started at the airport here where I saw a girl munching a celery stalk. At Heathrow airport there stood a guy waiting for somebody he had to pick up - he held up a sign saying "Margarita".

The concerts felt like religious services. I attended the first three.

[Andrew G. Doe]

The thing about that week in February 2004 wasn't just the music - although damn, wasn't it something - but rather that it was the ultimate fan gathering. I posted this on Facebook to mark the 5th anniversary:

Five years ago, I was enjoying, thoroughly enjoying, the single best group experience of my 33+ years of Beach Boys fandom. When it was announced in early 2003 that the following February, Brian & his band would perform Smile at London's Royal Festival Hall, well, once the shock had worn off, plans began to be laid. To slightly reword a famous line from the excellent Field Of Dreams, "if he plays it, they will come"... and they came. Oh, how they came.

They came from England, Wales, Scotland & Ireland; they came from France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark & Sweden; they came from the USA & Canada; they came from China, South Africa & Australia. They came by foot, by plane and by every other mode of transport in between, and they all converged on the County Hall Travel Inn, and when they arrived they were all welcomed as long-lost friends.It was without question the biggest BB fan gathering of all time. For a week, it seemed you couldn't go anywhere in London without encountering Beach Boys fans, and every night, show or not, we convened in the bar of the Travel Inn to talk, laugh, drink and above all, sing... and not just us, for camped in the Marriott at the other end of County Hall were Brian and his band, and it was a poor night when only one of them showed up. But, then, by now they weren't 'Brian's band', they were our friends, Darian, Probyn, Nelson, Jimmy, Scotty, Bob, Taylor, Nicky, not forgetting our new friends the Stockholm Strings & Horns. To finish at 1.00am was an early night, and on one memorable occasion, the bar staff forcibly ejected Darian, Scott, Probe & Nelson at 3.30am. Now consider this: they didn't have to do this, but after doing a two-hour show performing a legendary and hugely complex piece of music, and the subsequent meet & greets, they chose to come and hang with us. These people were not just approachable, they often approached us. They were all, and remain, stars.

But... it wasn't just about the music, even though that was as exciting, moving and uplifting as we could have hoped (as the final notes faded on the historic first night, hundreds of grown men were in floods of tears, and I'm not ashamed to admit I was one of them). It was the incredible sense of fellowship and community that grew as the week progressed: if you wanted to find someone, chances are they were at the TI, the RFH, the Slug & Lettuce or the little internet cafe opposite the London Eye that did a roaring trade that week (and probably not coincidentally, closed not long after), and during they day we showed them our city. Some ventured further afield, to Stonehenge or Brighton, or took in a Jack The Ripper walk one dark night. Friendships were formed and strengthened: unquestionably it was the high water-mark of Beach Boys fandom - we were all just fans, celebrating the music that brought us all together in the first place. It was, without apology, magical... and of course, it was also too good to last. In time divisions emerged and factions formed, friendships were strained and sometimes sundered, while other simply dropped from view. But, whatever, the shining memory of a week in London, late February 2004 endures in the hearts of those fortunate enough to be there. I was, and it warms my soul to recall those days.

To list those present is, of course, fraught with pitfalls as to forget someone is inevitable, and for this I apologise as i tip my hat to the following people who made the week what it was: Paul & Ashley, Val, Andrew G, Suze, James, Anne-Marie, Phil, Danni, Linda & Mark, Sue & Stu, Jacqs, Alex, Alan, Peter R, Peter W, Dan, Gerard, Heather & Dave, Mark S, Tony, Joseph, Robyne, Andy, Sean, Francis, Paul, Ails, Rob, Pat, Hugh, Rene, Hans, Joe T, Brian B, John E, Ant, Danny, Ann-Michelle, Mike, Charlie, the Dutch contingent and all the others.

[UK_Surf]

Yeah, it was amazing meeting up with everyone. Dan was really gracious, making introductions at the after party and generally being amazing. Two major personal revelations/quotes from that gathering:

The first from Jason Pierce from Spiritualized, who was blown away by the show: 'It's soul music. It's like being on every drug you've ever done.' High praise indeed from the man they call J. Spaceman!

The second was a chat with Darian Sahanaja, a really nice guy and brilliant muso to geek out with. He explained how he examined Carl Wilson's vocal on a multi-track of 'Child is Father of the Man' culled from the archives to research the lead line for the song - he actually isolated the headphone bleed from this track and was able to discern unheard backing tracks and vocal parts. So the BWPS lead melody on this tune at least is defo Smile vintage - all there in the archeology!  

Just a few incredible moments from an incredible night.

[Cliff1000uk]

Funnily enough, I was walking to the party at The Travel Inn after the first night and got stopped by Dominic Priore at a bus stop asking which bus took them to Waterloo. He noticed my programme and poster and asked what I thought of the night. Unfortunately I was still in hyper mode so blurted out God knows what but he was very friendly.

[hypehat]

Yeah, it was amazing meeting up with everyone. Dan was really gracious, making introductions at the after party and generally being amazing. Two major personal revelations/quotes from that gathering:

The first from Jason Pierce from Spiritualized, who was blown away by the show: 'It's soul music. It's like being on every drug you've ever done.' High praise indeed from the man they call J. Spaceman!

The second was a chat with Darian Sahanaja, a really nice guy and brilliant muso to geek out with. He explained how he examined Carl Wilson's vocal on a multi-track of 'Child is Father of the Man' culled from the archives to research the lead line for the song - he actually isolated the headphone bleed from this track and was able to discern unheard backing tracks and vocal parts. So the BWPS lead melody on this tune at least is defo Smile vintage - all there in the archeology!  

Just a few incredible moments from an incredible night.

Love that bit from J. I met him in 2006 after a show, and we talked about BW a little bit. He said it was one of the best things he'd ever seen!